This invention relates to a fan assembly for an umbrella and also to a fan assembly which can be coupled to a pole even without an umbrella.
There has long been a need for a self-contained, easy to assemble, low cost, universal, and safe umbrella fan. The design constraints associated with such an umbrella fan include the fact that the umbrella canopy is often lowered when not in use by the action of a slide which surrounds the umbrella pole operated by a crank mechanism which also surround the umbrella pole. Thus, any useful after-market umbrella fan assembly must be able to be easily coupled by the consumer to the umbrella pole between the crank mechanism and the umbrella canopy slide.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,188 discloses a fan assembly permanently disposed on the umbrella pole above the slide. Accordingly, this assembly is not designed as an after-market fan which can be used in conjunction with a wide variety of umbrellas previously purchased by consumers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,811 discloses a fan assembly supported on an umbrella pole below the umbrella slide but requires, in each embodiment, bearings supporting the integral rotatable drive ring to which the fan blades are attached. In one embodiment, the large drive gear of the rotatable drive ring and the drive ring itself have a slot therethrough for receiving the umbrella shaft. To compensate for this slot, either two opposing drive pinions are required (one on either side of the slot) or, instead, a special gear key is required to fill the gap in the drive gear, and, in that embodiment, only one drive pinion is required.
The ""811 patent also purports to show an embodiment where the drive gear and the drive ring are split and pivot about a hinge. Still, even in this embodiment, the bearings supporting the rotatable drive ring are still required as part of the fan assembly housing. Since, in the design of the ""811 patent, the drive ring is an integral part of the fan motor housing, the resulting structure is necessarily complex and difficult to manufacture at a low cost. Finally, the ""188 patent notes that the fan assembly of the ""811 patent is unstable. To our knowledge, no after-market umbrella fan assembly has ever gained market acceptance.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a self-contained after-market fan assembly for umbrellas.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which is easy to assemble.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which can be manufactured and sold at a low cost.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which is universal in design and which can accommodate different umbrella pole diameters and a variety of umbrella configurations.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which can be easily slid down or decoupled from the umbrella pole when the umbrella canopy is folded down and not in use and then slid back up the umbrella pole and into position or coupled to the pole when the umbrella canopy is deployed.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which has easily removable contoured fan blades.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which is battery operated.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly which does not require multiple drive pinions.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a fan assembly in which the drive ring is not an integral part of the fan motor housing and thus requires no rotatable bearings.
The invention results from the realization that a self contained, universal, and low cost, umbrella fan assembly which is easy to assemble and disassemble is preferably effected by three primary separate assemblies: a split collar clampable around the umbrella pole, a motor housing supported by the split collar, and a separate fan blade drive ring with an integral gear also supported by the split collar. This preferred design is in sharp contrast with the assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,811 in which the drive ring is an integral part of the motor housing and thus requires expensive bearings and a complex drive train to accommodate the slot in the motor housing.
The invention features a fan assembly fastenable about a pole and includes a collar clampable about the pole and including a drive ring support disposed above a motor housing support; a motor housing clampable about the collar to rest on the motor housing support, the motor housing including a drive mechanism; a drive ring in two sections disposed about the collar to rotatably rest on the drive ring support of the collar, the drive ring including a driven mechanism driven by the drive mechanism of the motor housing; and a plurality of fan blades coupled to the drive ring.
In the preferred embodiment, the fan assembly may further include a coupling clampable about the pole beneath the collar to support the collar on the pole. The drive ring may include a plate extending outward from the collar and the drive mechanism may be a lower gear closely spaced to the collar and driven by the drive mechanism of the motor housing. A first section of the drive ring may circumferentially surround the majority of the collar and a second section of the drive ring may be a key which completes the drive ring. The coupling may include a nut for securing the coupling to the pole. The motor housing may be hinged. The motor housing may include one locking mechanism to clamp the hinged motor housing together about the pole. The locking mechanism may include a sliding clasp for securing two sections of the hinged motor housing together. The locking mechanism may additionally or alternatively include a screw that engages two sections of the hinged motor housing.
The invention also features a fan assembly including a collar in two halves clampable about a pole and including a drive ring support; a motor housing support disposed below the drive ring support; and a clamp for slidably securing the two halves of the collar about the pole, a coupling in two halves clampable about the pole below the collar for supporting the collar on the pole, the coupling including a clamp for securing the two halves about the pole, threaded fingers, and a hinged nut threadable onto the fingers to releasably secure the coupling with respect to the pole; a motor housing in two halves hinged together and supported on the motor housing support of the collar, the motor housing including a battery compartment, a drive gear driven by a motor, and at least one mechanism for securing the two halves together about the collar; a drive ring in two sections disposed about the collar and including a plate portion, a driven gear portion extending downward from the plate portion rotatably supported on the drive ring support of the collar and driven by the drive gear of the motor housing, a first section of the drive ring circumferentially surrounding a majority of the collar, a second section of the drive ring formed as a key which completes the drive ring, and at least one mechanism for securing the key to the first section of the drive ring; and fan blade retaining mechanisms on the plate portion of the drive ring, and a plurality of fan blades releasably coupled to the retaining mechanisms.